Chinook Justice Campaign

That this House recognises the need for an independent, judge-led public inquiry into the Chinook helicopter crash on the Mull of Kintyre on 2 June 1994 and the circumstances which led to the deaths of all 29 passengers and crew; believes that the State has a duty to ensure a full, effective, and independent investigation into these deaths; notes that any such inquiry must be empowered with full legal authority to compel the production of documents and the attendance of witnesses, powers which have not been available to previous investigations or reviews; calls for the release of all documents related to the crash, including those currently sealed for 100 years; urges that the inquiry examine why Chinook ZD576 was permitted to fly when it was unairworthy and was stated to be ‘positively dangerous’ by Ministry of Defence test engineers at Boscombe Down, the trials aircraft was grounded, and the Ministry of Defence’s most experienced test pilots prohibited from flying it; further believes that the principles of transparency, accountability, and justice must be upheld for the 29 service personnel who served their country with distinction and whose lives were lost unnecessarily; and looks forward to the Government honouring its commitment to a Duty of Candour and upholding the core principles of the Hillsborough Law, in this case and in others, where justice and accountability have been long denied.